Unchecked (New York Unraveled #2)

Chapter Two.

EVAN.

She was trembling like a leaf. Even though I had been trying my best to comfort her, it seemed like erasing the images of what had happened from her mind was tough for her. I could imagine what she was going through. Feeling helpless and knowing that you won't even die from it leaves wounds that don't easily heal.
I was thanking all the Gods above again and again that I decided to turn my car and come back, if only to ask her out. If something had happened to her, I don't know if I could have ever forgiven myself for it. I couldn't see somebody go through that. Not again.
Right when I felt the tremors in her body starting to recede, the blasted phone started ringing again and she once more went into a seizure-like state.
I picked it up this time. If nothing else, I could tell whoever it was to piss off.
"Hello? Rayne? Where the fuck were you?" came a female voice.
"She's not exactly in a condition to talk right now. May I know who this is?" I said in a clipped voice.
"Why? What happened to her? Who are you?" she said frantically.
Rayne lifted her head up from my shoulder with a wild look in her eyes. "Is it Karen?"
I repeated her question to the girl on the phone who shouted that hell yes she was and she was going to call the police if I didn't let her talk to Rayne right then.
I almost laughed at that.
Nonetheless, I handed over the phone to Rayne who readily took it and pressed it to her ear like it was a lifeboat.
"Karen, I- You- I-" she stammered for a while and shut up, listening to the girl like Jesus was speaking to her.
"He's from the NYPD," she said softly and a minute later, she cut the phone.
"That was my best friend. She's coming here," she said, trying to regain her composure now.
Meanwhile, I was getting texts from my team, asking me where I was and on what charges the three injured men were supposed to be held. I told them I would be there in a minute, till then they could take the assholes to the hospital.
I should have killed all of them. What were five custodial deaths on my profile? I was a reputed detective. They would never doubt me. Plus, those bastards deserved it. But getting Rayne out of the situation without a scratch was my first priority. Worry for her safety overrode my anger and I let two of them slip away.
I caressed her cheek. Makeup had run down her face, leaving black tear trails from the mascara. Her lip was cut from on end and her face was ghastly pale. "Are you going to be fine?"
She laid her head back on my shoulder. "Yeah. Can you stay till she comes?" she asked hesitantly.
I put my arms around her. "Of course." Like she had to ask me twice.
I didn't know why I was feeling so protective about her. It wasn't the first time I'd driven away debauch fuckers who thought they could do anything to a girl just because they got the Y chromosome when they were born. I'd felt protective about all those girls because it was my duty to save a person in need and arrest people who tried to take the law in their hands. But Rayne... I was more protective about her than I should have been.
She had calmed down considerably. She wasn't crying, although her breath was still hitching because of the earlier sobs. Even the trembling had toned down to such a low intensity that you would know about it only if you were holding her.
She believed me when I told her that I would get the people punished who did this to her. She believed me when I told her that I wouldn't let anyone touch her again. The darkness was slowly seeping out from her thoughts as she let me comfort her and whisper soothing words in her ear. And even though my knees ached because of being on them for so long, it was worth it when she stopped crying.
About ten minutes later, I heard the door rattling as if somebody was trying open the lock. I instinctively pointed a gun at the door but Rayne held my wrist. "It must be Karen. She has the key," she said.
I nodded but I wasn't convinced till I saw a raging redhead give me a chilly look before taking my place of holding Rayne.
"What happened to you? Are you okay? No, you're not. Damn it, speak, woman," she urged.
Wow, she was worse than some of our investigators out there.
A man had followed her inside who was standing in the doorway with a big frown on his face.
"Nathan Black?" I said with surprise and went to shake his hand.
He wasn't as surprised as me. "Detective Saunders. Nice to see you," he said, his eyes holding the distinct blankness it always sported. He waved a hand vaguely towards the two girls who were wrapped around each other. "What happened here?"
"Sexual harassment. Attempted rape," I replied.
"How do you both know each other?" asked Karen, looking suspiciously at both of us.
"Our parents are friends," replied Nathan shortly.
Rayne had started sobbing again and Karen was doing exactly what I had been doing earlier. Great, all my hardwork down the drain because of one fiery redhead.
"I didn't expect to see you here," I said, mostly to find something else to do than stare at her.
"Yeah, well, that's my girlfriend," he said, pointing to Karen, "and I wasn't about to let her come to this area at midnight alone."
"I can understand why," I muttered.
When my phone beeped with another text from my team, I excused myself and went out to the crime scene. I learnt that the men had already been taken to the hospital. There were three more people, who worked under me, milling around, mostly waiting for me. Roy, Jessica and Dan- this was my small team that accompanied me in all the investigations and I'd come to rely on them more than I cared to admit.
I recited to them exactly what had happened. Roy, who was my oldest accomplice, took down notes of what I'd said. "We're going to need to talk to the victim," said Roy.
"I don't think she's exactly in the condition right now," I replied.
"We could try at least. If she says no, we'll go back," said Jessica, the only girl in my team.
"Alright," I conceded, though I wasn't so excited about subjecting her to a round of questioning when she couldn't even stop shaking.
I led them to her place where she was still curled up with Karen, her head now on Karen's lap as she petted her.
I knocked on the door which was wide open, Nathan still leaning on the edge of the doorframe. Rayne lifted her head up a little when she saw me and for a second, a glint of delight passed her eyes.
"We need to ask you a couple of questions, if that's alright," I said inquisitively.
Rayne got up with a little effort and consented but Karen didn't look like she approved. "Fine, I'll make you something meanwhile," she said reluctantly and went to the counter separating the room from the kitchen and Nathan followed. They promptly began a hushed conversation I couldn't hear from the distance but I was damn curious.
I sat down beside her while Jessica towered over us. Roy and Dan waited outside like good little soldiers. "Do you want to press charges?" I started with the obvious.
"Obviously. Get those fuckers behind bars."
I smiled a little at that, seeing her earlier spunk return but her voice was still small and weak.
"Did you know any of them?" I put a hand over her leg casually, if only for an excuse to touch her. She didn't seem to mind.
"No," she answered.
My eyes had wandered towards her knees. I noticed she had changed into shorts and her knees were covered with bandages.
"How did that happen?" What I wanted to ask was how I missed it.
"The road had a lot of sharp stones and bits of glasses. And my knees got skinned when I was dragged," her voice had turned into a whisper by the end. She turned her head down and her hair fell over her face, hiding it behind the silky strands. I had interviewed enough girls in the same situations to know that the embarrassment she was probably experiencing was normal. I just hoped it would go away quickly.
"Can you recall the events for us?" I asked softly, pushing back a few locks of hair.
She nodded and the hair I'd tucked behind her ear fell back again. "I was going home after you dropped me and these five men started to...say bad things and circle around me and..." After this, she started to stammer and tears sprang up in her eyes. Fearing she would begin shaking again, I said, "It's okay. I'll come back-"
Jessica interrupted. "Take your time. We're in no hurry."
I glared at her but Jessica pointedly ignored me.
"They... They touched me," Rayne said in such a low voice that I had to lean in close to understand what she was saying. "And... I punched one of them and...and I tried to run away but..." Her lower lip was trembling and her stammering was becoming worse.
"But?" Jessica encouraged.
I put an arm around Rayne and glared at her. "Jessica. Out."
She started to protest.
"Out," I said again.
Reluctantly, she went out, although with a sour face. Ignoring her, I handed Rayne my business card. "I'll come back tomorrow. Give me a call whenever you're free and ready to answer questions. Take your own time."
"Thank you," she whispered, looking gratefully up at me.
"I'll go now," I said unwillingly. I wiped the fresh tears that had trickled down her cheeks and got up.
Outside, my three musketeers were deep into a hushed conversation. "Jessica," I called her strictly. Formally. She knew what that meant.
"Yes, sir," she responded and stood straight with her hands locked at her back.
"Are you blind or plain insensitive? I don't expect that sort of behavior from you. Were you not able to see what her condition was?" I scolded her and she listened silently with her head turned down. It's not like she could retaliate. She was much junior to me.
"This is not the first time you've dealt with trauma but if I see such insolent attitude again, it will be the last."
Her eyes almost popped out of her head at my last words. I'd scolded them in the past, even twisted their ears but threatening was never my thing. This was the first time and these three knew more than anybody else how seriously I follow my words with actions.
"I'm sorry, sir," she said. It wasn't really her fault. I myself haf pushed victims way past that point during questioning but my emotions were getting the best of me.
"It's okay," I said. "Let's go check on the guilty. They're in the state hospital, I presume?"
Dan answered, "Yes, sir. We've received information that-"
He was interrupted by Nathan who had come up behind me. "Detective Saunders, can I talk to you for a second?" he asked.
"Sure." I moved away from my little group and waited for him to tell me whatever it was that he wanted to.
"Can you keep a check on Rayne for a couple of days? I'll get her a new flat in a better part of the city. Until then," he said.
"What do you mean by keeping a check on her?" I asked.
"Keep tabs on where she is, who she is with. Check in on her. Make sure she's okay," he explained.
"I'm a detective, Mr. Black, not a bodyguard," I said through gritted teeth. I hated how this man thought he could do anything because he had a few more bucks than other people. But with me he was a little more human. He knew he couldn't buy me; I had enough money on me to get him off my back. With me, he had to give me good incentives.
"I know you're not, Evan. I know we haven't been exactly the most friendly people in the past. But I really need you to do this right now. My girlfriend means the world to me. I can't see her upset, and she will keep sulking if her best friend is unsafe. Please do this as a small favor. I'll owe you a big one." Well, at least he sounded like he was genuinely pleading.
"Why can't you just get her professional bodyguards?" I asked.
"Because she's a stubborn ass who won't have black-clad men follow her around all the time," he said, his frustration evident in his voice and expression.
"Wait, so she isn't supposed to know that I'm keeping a check on her?" My eyebrows raised in shock. That was some sneaky shit he was asking me to do.
"Yes. Please, Evan. It won't be tough for you. Take her out or something. She won't even know what the real deal is. Just for a little while," he pleaded again. He must really be head over heels for the redhead to be begging like that. Humility and Nathan Black never exactly went together.
"Alright. I'll think about it," I said with a straight face when inside, I was grinning like a Cheshire cat.

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Author's note: Hi! Visiting my old characters makes me feel so warmly nostalgic. *cue dramatic sniff* Did you like seeing Karen and Nathan from a third-eye? Tell me in the comments below!